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Human capital

Adjibolosoo (1993, p. 142) suggests that the human factor is the combination of “personality characteristics and other dimensions of human performance” which enable individuals to make valuable contributions to society. He views level of education, the possession of marketable skills, and people’s value systems, including their work ethic, as characteristics that determine the extent to which they can make valuable contributions to society.

Human capital theory posits that human capital comprises knowledge and skills individuals may have that make them economically productive (Schultz, 1961; Becker, 1964). The theory proposes that the more education and skills people have, the higher their societal rewards will be. It also asserts that investments in education represent the main strategy for human capital accumulation (Schultz, 1961; Becker, 1964). Many social scientists agree with the previous proposition; however, they emphasize that human capital is only increased by education that enhances the financial productivity of individuals (Little, 2003).

Social and behavioral scientists have attempted to operationally define the concept of human capital. Smith (1991), Schultz (1961), and Baum&Lake (2003), for instance, identify education as a key indicator of human capital. Haveman, Bershadker&Schwabish (2003) in turn, have identified the earnings capacity associated with education as a key indicator. The low levels of education of many Hispanics in the United States along with the resulting lower earnings potential strongly suggest that they collectively possess low levels of human capital.

Voluntary vs. involuntary arrival into the united states

According to McLemore (1991), and other authors, members of Hispanic groups in the United States who have been conquered, colonized or enslaved are more likely to resist acculturation and to reject the idea of assimilation. On the other hand, Hispanics choosing to come to the United States for other personal or professional reasons will be more likely to embrace the new culture. The unwillingness of many Hispanics to become acculturated or assimilated will not necessarily prevent their socio-economic progress; however, it may make it more difficult.

Most Mexicans, for example, reject the idea of assimilation because they have been defeated by the United States in several battles and many have been exploited by American employers, discriminated against or simply deported (Marger, 2000, p. 283). The animosity of many Mexican-Americans towards the United States and its dominant culture also stems out of the fact that political, economic and cultural tensions have existed between the two countries since their very inception (Becerra, 1988, p. 142). Some of these tensions have resulted from the fact that Mexico lost approximately 50% of its former territory to its neighbor to the north (Marger, 2000, p. 286).

Most Puerto Ricans also reject the idea of assimilation. Initially, they did not come to the United States. Instead, the United States came to Puerto Rico following their victory over Spain in the Spanish-American War. Consequently, Puerto Ricans represent the only Hispanic group coming from a territory that has been a colony for more than 500 years. Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain for 405 years and it has been a territory or colony of the United States for over a century (Wagenheim, 1970). Because of their colonial status, they lack the capacity to fully govern themselves while in Puerto Rico. They do not have any input into the formulation of the federal laws that govern them and they are not allowed to vote in presidential elections even though they are citizens of the United States. Reportedly, the Puerto Rican community trails all other Hispanic groups in the U.S. in almost all indicators of progress and well being, and it scores lower than African-Americans on some indicators (Chavez, 1991). An indicator of the lack of assimilation of Puerto Ricans is that every year they conduct a parade in every major city where they live. The primary purpose of these parades is to celebrate Puerto Rican culture and heritage and announce the group’s cultural distinctiveness (Lipton, 2000).

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Source:  OpenStax, Immigration in the united states and spain: consideration for educational leaders. OpenStax CNX. Dec 20, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11150/1.1
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